The present invention relates to folding knives, particularly for use in hunting, and specifically to knives of the type in which the blade may be folded into a slot in the handle when not in use.
In the prior art, blades for folding knives have been rotatably supported on a pin or bushing through a support end of the knife blade. In such a knife, a leaf spring, contained in the back of the handle, is pressed outward by a cam on the blade support end as the blade is rotated. When the blade reaches the fully open position, the cam is "over center," holding the knife blade against rotation, and the spring returns to original position. Its end serves as a blade stop against further rotation in the opening sense; but the leaf spring offers only a small resistance to inadvertent closing. This resistance may be insufficient for use in hunting.